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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26467156">something i can't reach</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/justasuperfan/pseuds/justasuperfan'>justasuperfan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Umbrella Academy (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ben Hargreeves Deserves Better, Ben Hargreeves-centric, Gen, Hurt Diego Hargreeves, Hurt Number Five | The Boy, Possession, Sick Diego Hargreeves, Vomiting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:35:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,800</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26467156</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/justasuperfan/pseuds/justasuperfan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>ben is in desperate need to interact with the physical world. who better to possess than his two loving brothers?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ben Hargreeves &amp; Diego Hargreeves &amp; Klaus Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves &amp; Klaus Hargreeves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>97</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>something i can't reach</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>so enjoy this garbage i made for absolutely no reason. UN-BETAED, all mistakes are completely my own. so uh anyways may i present the trash</p>
<p>TW: vomiting, unconsented possession</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, about possession…”</p>
<p>“Oh ho, no no no. Sorry Benerino, you’ve been banned from that. Remember when I puked you up all over the alleyway?”</p>
<p>Ben rolled his eyes and sank into the couch with his arms crossed over his chest. “Oh, come on. I haven’t been that tangible in years, and I just wanted to do <i>something</i>. It’s not my fault you have a weak-ass body.”</p>
<p>Klaus just brushed him off with a wave of his hand and turned back to his magazine. It had been a week since they arrived back in 2019, and Klaus hadn’t done much in those seven days other than admire models and sleep. He claimed he needed a rest after the emotionally harrowing week, but Ben of all people knew how much of a life that was. He was doing the exact thing he had been doing before Reginald died. Minus the drugs and drinks. And Ben had done the same too, just following around his brother like a servant. He was tired of it. There was so much he wanted to say to the family he had lost for three whole years. And Klaus refused to let him just because of one mistake.</p>
<p>God, he’d been so stupid. He shouldn’t have wasted his once chance because he wanted to talk up some girl. He had known that he and Jill wouldn’t last. But he blew the one time Klaus ever let him talk to his brothers and sisters, and he couldn’t get it back.</p>
<p>“Oh, come <i>on</i>, at least make me tangible!” Ben whined in an undignified voice. Good thing no one could hear him, or even care about him. Because Klaus still refused to tell them that Ben had come back from heaven after possessing Vanya. God had given him the chance to go back and forth between the two worlds, since he was sick of waiting for his family to die. It was a twisted dream anyways.</p>
<p>“Nuh-uh, you’ve been a naughty boy. Now leave me alone so I can read this thought-provoking article on the Kardashians.”</p>
<p>Why did Klaus have to be so <i>frustrating</i>?! It didn’t take that much out of his brother to make ghosts corporeal, and Ben knew it. Klaus was just sick of doing things for his brother. And Ben was getting very close to running inside of Klaus’s body anyways. That’s when the door creaked open.</p>
<p>“Klaus, next time you’re getting off your lazy ass and getting the groceries. Otherwise I’m letting you starve.” Diego called from the front entrance. Klaus sat up quickly, and Ben rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>“Diego, my loving brother! Did you get my pudding?” Ben watched as his brother ran to meet Diego at the entrance to the living room. The vigilante looked absolutely fed up with his brother’s antics, which Ben could understand. He had been the only one to not do any work since they’d gotten back to the mansion. Thankfully, nothing had changed, so they simply moved back in while still reeling from the events of the last week.</p>
<p>“I did. Unfortunately.” Diego tossed a pack of pudding that Klaus barely caught, then dropped the rest of the contents of the bag on the bar. “Took forever though. Some old lady held up the whole goddamn line, which is why I’m not going shopping next time.”</p>
<p>“Pwease, Diego?” Klaus pouted, giving his best vulnerable look. <i>Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.</i> Ben always knew Klaus was pathetic, but whining about going to the grocery? Come on. He hadn’t been doing anything lately, anyways. If only he could tell Diego that.</p>
<p>“No. You’re going. End of discussion.”</p>
<p>Klaus groaned loudly, before continuing to protest. God, Ben was going to kill him the next time he was able to touch anything. But then a thought came to him...why wait? He could just possess his brother in that moment and then make him agree to shopping so he would just stop talking. Ben made a plan and then took a breath before preparing to run inside Klaus’s body.</p>
<p>That’s when things went very wrong.</p>
<p>Klaus, for whatever reason, stepped out of the way at the last possible second. Before Ben could stop himself, he plunged through Diego. Well, shit. That was going to be hard to explain.</p>
<p>It was like running through honey when he passed through Diego’s body, and he hated every second that he felt his brother spasming against his will. The second he made it out, he fell to the ground, panting. He was about to stand up and try explaining and apologizing through Klaus, when he heard a voice. “Oh, Benny, that was so mean!” Klaus giggled and put his hands to his mouth. “Why poor old Diego?”</p>
<p>“Shut <i>up</i>! I was trying to get you to stop whining like a big baby!” His eyes flitted to Diego, who was breathing hard and pressing a hand to his chest.</p>
<p>“What. The fuck. Was that. Is this some sort of game, Klaus? Are you fucking messing with me because you don’t want to go <i>shopping?!</i> Jesus!” Diego started to lunge toward Klaus, when Ben made yet another split-second decision. He hated Klaus. But he didn’t want Diego to think it was Klaus’s fault. And he couldn’t let anyone get hurt for his actions.</p>
<p>So he lunged into Diego’s body a second time, ignoring the pain that shot through his ghost body, and adjusted as quickly as he could. He felt his brother’s consciousness like a tingle in the back of his mind, and his vision was almost split, but he had done it. He was possessing his brother. And he hated it, but it was necessary. Maybe Klaus would actually listen to his words if they came from a different brother.</p>
<p>“Stop it! Just go shopping, you idiot!” Ben shouted. He almost jolted at how much different his voice was. Plus, Diego’s body was much more muscular and fit than his own. He felt like he could beat anyone up.</p>
<p>“Oh Ben, you’re so going to regret this later.” Klaus just laughed. “Poor Diego. He deserved it, but still.”</p>
<p>“Listen to me! Why can’t you just leave the house?”</p>
<p>Klaus’s green eyes suddenly turned very, very dark. Oh shit. Was he having a flashback or something? A panic attack? He supposed his yelling did sound a lot like Dad’s had. Ben maneuvered Diego’s body over to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I just want you to stop making excuses.”</p>
<p>“I’m just...we spent three years away from this family, Ben. I don’t want to lose them again, no matter how long it is. So just...get off my back. I’ll go to the goddamn grocery next time if you want that so badly.”</p>
<p>God, what had he done? He should’ve just let the two of them fight it out. He had never meant to hurt anyone. Plus, being in charge of Diego was painful. He could feel his brother trying to push him out, the buzzing in the back of Ben’s brain becoming more like a full-on migraine. It had been a while before Klaus started resisting the last time he’d possessed anyone. “I’m sorry. I should’ve realized.”</p>
<p>That’s when Diego managed to take back control of his own body, and shoved Ben to the ground. And as his brother gagged, curled in on himself on the floor, that’s when Five picked the very convenient moment to come down the stairs.</p>
<p>“Wow Diego, never took you for the mental breakdown kind.” His words were rude, but his tone was softer than usual. Was he...concerned about Diego? Huh. Ben had known he cared about his family more than anything, but maybe it went further than he thought. Whatever, he couldn’t be worried about that. He was worried about his own lingering ghost pain, and Diego throwing up on the floor.</p>
<p>“Shit, Klaus, let me possess you! L-let me explain!” Ben cried. His voice was still shaky.</p>
<p>Klaus just crossed his arms. “Nope, you’ve been a bad boy. Trying to use a meaningful conversation to make me forget your yelling?”</p>
<p>“Who the <i>hell</i> are you talking to?” Five had managed to step closer to them, looking warily between the three of them, but you’d never know he was scared for them unless you knew him very well.</p>
<p>“Ben.” Diego croaked, coughing as he sat up. Then he looked at Klaus and squinted. “Was that Ben?”</p>
<p>“<i>Klaus!</i>” Ben screamed.</p>
<p>He had to explain. Was Diego mad at him? He had to do something, and Klaus was too stubborn to realize that. Ben didn’t want to ruin his reputation in Diego’s eyes. And there was no way he was letting Diego go around thinking his brother had hurt him on purpose. His breathing quickened, despite him not exactly needing to breath, and panic bubbled inside of him. That’s when his eyes flitted to the third brother.</p>
<p>Oh, no. There was no way he was possessing Five. But...how else would he explain to Diego? He was just going to make an even bigger mess, but...it was his only option.</p>
<p>“Sorry, Five.” Then he ran straight into his smallest brother.</p>
<p>He met a lot more resistance from the assassin. Maybe he knew somehow what was coming, or he just rejected the sudden nausea immediately. Either way, Ben had to fight to stay conscious in the small body. It was strange suddenly being so short and wearing the uniform he’d hated his entire life. He knew he didn’t have long, so he turned to Diego as Klaus began laughing—though it sounded more like shrieking—and yelling about Ben possessing everyone.</p>
<p>“Diego, listen to me. It’s Ben. I swear I didn’t mean to possess you the first time, but the second time I hoped your voice would smack some sense into our dimwit brother.”</p>
<p>Diego squinted at him. “Jeez, you sure you aren’t Five? You sound exactly like him.”</p>
<p>Klaus, in the middle of his laughing, managed, “Nope. Definitely Ben.”</p>
<p>“Ben.” Before he could brace himself, he felt someone hugging his child’s body. “I missed you.”</p>
<p>He felt Five’s body flinch as if muscle memory was taking over. Another set of light footsteps came into the room, and Ben pulled out of the hug and smiled at Diego before turning to his sister. “Hey, Vanya. It’s Ben.”</p>
<p>She looked overly confused, but before Ben could explain yet again, he was thrown back into his ghostly form. Five didn’t collapse upon regaining control of his body, but swayed and grabbed his head. “Jesus, Ben, that was uncalled for.”</p>
<p>“What’s going on?” Vanya asked from the doorway. Ben pushed himself up from the floor and turned to his still-laughing brother.</p>
<p>“So. You can explain this time.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i swear i have better works than this. if you're new to my profile, welcome! i write tua, atla, and occasionally stranger things. check out my other fics and don't be afraid to give comments or kudos!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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